養臭鼬 正流行

There are those pet-lovers for whom a cat is too conventional and a dog simply too mundane. But it appears they wouldn’t turn up their nose at a skunk.

Breeders estimate that there are around 2，000 skunks kept as domestic pets in England， and the demand is increasing.

Katie Sleightholme，30， allows her skunk， Busby， to run in her house. She paid ￡375 for her pet， who is 17 inch long， and weighs 10 pound， but skunks can cost up to ￡1，500 in a shop.

Katie， the mother of three children， who has two dogs， thirteen guinea pigs， three rabbits and two hamsters. According to her， Ella， eight， Alfie， five， and 19-month-old Maisie dote on their new pet.

She said， “Most nights he will crawl up and sleep on my shoulder and snuggle into my neck.”

“He’s incredibly affectionate and sociable. He follows the kids around when they are playing and even sleeps with the two dogs.”

“We are trying to train him to walk with a lead and harness so we can walk him with the dogs.”

Skunks are omnivores with a natural diet including insects， fruits， nuts， mice and other small mammals. katie feeds Busby with chicken topped with fruit and vegetables.

“But he will dig into the dog’s dry food if left to his own devices，” she said.

“If they are trained properly when they are younger then there is no need to worry about their farting，” a breeder said.

Katie agreed， saying： “Busby made a stink once and it just smelled slightly of garlic. But since then we’ve trained him， there have been no problem. He has a little tray and uses it like a cat. The dogs make more mess.”

對于那些標新立異的寵物愛好者來說，養貓養狗可能已經過于平淡無奇，早過時了。對他們來說，哪怕是臭鼬所放出的臭氣也并非忍無可忍。

據飼養者估計，目前在英國有2000只左右的臭鼬被當成家養寵物，而且這樣的需求還一直在增長中。

現年30歲的Katie Sleightholme放任她的寵物——臭鼬Busby在家中橫沖直闖。當初，她花了375英鎊買下了這只17英寸長、重10磅的小家伙，而現如今，寵物店里臭鼬的標價已經飆升到了1500英鎊。

Katie現在是三個孩子的母親，他們家已經養了兩條狗，十三只幾內亞豬，三只兔子以及兩只倉鼠。據她表示，八歲的Ella、五歲的Alfie和十九個月大的Maisie都非常喜愛這只新寵物。

她說：“常常在晚上，它會爬上來，趴在我肩頭睡著，就依偎在我的脖子旁。”

“它與人非常的親密，也很懂得交流，它會跟著三個孩子一起玩耍，甚至會和兩條狗兒睡在一起。”

“我們正嘗試著訓練它有方向地行走，如此一來我們在遛狗的時候也可以順便帶它散步。”

臭鼬是一種自然派的飲食者，它們的食物包括昆蟲、水果、堅果、鼠和其他小型哺乳動物。Katie為Busby準備的食物則有蓋著水果和蔬菜的雞肉。

“但如果讓它自己做主的話，它更喜歡分狗的干糧吃。”她說。

“如果在幼年時期對臭鼬加以適當的訓練，這可解除擔心其到處放屁的后顧之憂。”一位飼養者說。

Katie同意這樣的說法，“Busby曾經有過一次頑皮的經歷，那股氣味和大蒜味差不多。但從那次起我們開始訓練它，之后就沒出過問題了。它有屬于自己的食物托盤，并會像貓咪那樣進食。相比起來，狗狗才比較調皮搗蛋。”